memeorandum: Jan. 6 investigators' new challenge: Trump allies pleading the Fifth (Politico)

12:15 PM ET, December 9, 2021

Top Items:

Inside Trump's hunt for “disloyal” Republicans — Donald Trump and his associates are systematically reshaping the Republican Party, working to install hand-picked loyalists across federal and state governments and destroy those he feels have been disloyal, sources close to the former president tell Axios.

Discussion: Washington Post, Associated Press, Insider, Popular Information, Los Angeles Times, The Revolution, Georgia Recorder, Raw Story and Mediaite

Reuters:

Georgia Republicans purge Black Democrats from county election boards — Protesters filled the meeting room of the Spalding County Board of Elections in October, upset that the board had disallowed early voting on Sundays for the Nov. 2 municipal election. A year ago, Sunday voting …

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
David Perdue confesses he would have aided a coup. He's not the only one.

Discussion: NBC News, Election Law Blog, Washington Examiner, Daily Kos, Conservative Guardian and Los Angeles Times

Washington Post:

New York attorney general seeks Trump's deposition as part of civil fraud investigation — New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking a deposition from former president Donald Trump early next year as part of her investigation into potential fraud inside the Trump Organization, according to people familiar with the matter.

Discussion: Raw Story, NBC News, CNBC, Insider, Forbes, The Gateway Pundit, Mock Paper Scissors and Political Wire

New York Times:

New York A.G. to Subpoena Trump to Testify in Fraud Investigation — The move by the attorney general, Letitia James, comes at a critical moment in a criminal inquiry into the former president, who could try to block the demand. — The New York State attorney general, Letitia James …

Michael R. Sisak / Associated Press:

NY attorney general seeks Trump's testimony in civil probe — NEW YORK (AP) — New York's attorney general is seeking former President Donald Trump's testimony in an ongoing civil investigation into his business practices, a person familiar with the matter said.

Discussion: Bloomberg and The Guardian

Jennifer Scholtes / Politico:

Senate takes up Schumer-McConnell debt pact — The loophole would allow Democrats to raise the debt ceiling with a simple Senate majority on a one-time basis, circumventing the need for GOP support. — The Senate will vote Thursday to take up a one-time loophole to allow Democrats to raise …

Discussion: Daily Kos, One America News Network and Washington Post

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Graham warns GOP about Trump's wrath on debt vote — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) offered a forceful warning to Republican colleagues during a private lunch on Wednesday, saying former President Trump will come down hard on any GOP senators who vote for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's …

Discussion: Insider, HotAir, Raw Story, Todd Starnes and Politico

CNN:
McConnell-McCarthy divide grows as Trump aims to keep his grip on GOP

Discussion: Axios, Raw Story, POLITICUSUSA and Washington Post

New York Post:

Fox Christmas tree arson suspect released without bail — The arsonist who allegedly torched the Fox News Christmas tree was freed after his arraignment Wednesday night because his charges were not eligible for bail under new liberal reform laws. — “I didn't do it!” suspect Craig Tamanaha …

Discussion: HotAir, The Daily Caller, The Western Journal, The Wrap, Raw Story, CITIZEN STRINGER, Breitbart, RedState, National Review, Townhall, BizPac Review, Twitchy, Fox News, YouTube and Deadline

Jackson Richman / Mediaite:
Fox News to Light New Christmas Tree After Previous One Torched

Discussion: Gothamist, Snopes.com, Raw Story and The American Independent

United States Capitol Police:

USCP Arrest Capitol Hill Staffer for Carrying a Gun — This morning at approximately 7:40 am, our officers in the Longworth Building spotted the image of a handgun in a bag on the x-ray screen. — The man was tracked down four minutes later and arrested.

Discussion: USA Today, Washington Post, NBC News, CBS News, Insider, The Daily Caller, Twitchy, CITIZEN STRINGER, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth and WTOP News

Ryan J. Reilly / HuffPost:

Tucker Carlson's Jan. 6 ‘Agent Provocateur’ Is A Big Tucker Fan And An Amateur Cardinals Mascot — “If I'm wrong, so be it, bro,” Carlson's guest said after he'd told Fox News viewers that the St. Louis baseball booster was “clearly a law enforcement officer.”

Ruy Teixeira / The Liberal Patriot:

The Democrats' Hispanic Voter Problem — It's Not As Bad As You Think—It's Worse — The Democrats are steadily losing ground with Hispanic voters. The seriousness of this problem tends to be underestimated in Democratic circles for a couple of reasons: (1) they don't realize how big the shift is …

Discussion: The New Neo, BizPac Review, Page Array and Campaign Update

Ronald Brownstein / The Atlantic:

Democrats Are Losing the Culture Wars — Maybe Bill Clinton got a few things right after all. — For years, Democrats have rarely cited Clinton and the centrist New Democrat movement he led through the '90s except to renounce his “third way” approach to welfare, crime, and other issues as a violation of the party's principles.

Discussion: Breitbart

New York Times:

Event Planner Working on Bob Dole's Funeral Is Let Go for Jan. 6 Ties — Tim Unes was helping to plan memorial events for Mr. Dole when it came to light that he had been subpoenaed by the committee investigating the Capitol riot. — WASHINGTON — The Elizabeth Dole Foundation has cut ties with Tim Unes …

Discussion: The Hill, Insider and Political Wire

Luke Broadwater / New York Times:
Meadows Sues Pelosi in Bid to Block Jan. 6 Committee Subpoena

Politico:
Jan. 6 investigators' new challenge: Trump allies pleading the Fifth

Discussion: Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Fox News, New York Post, Washington Examiner and New York Times

Kate Aronoff / New Republic:

Biden's Democracy Summit Is Dumb — “This is a moment to try to refocus our fellow citizens on what makes us exceptional,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Politico's James Traub of the White House's two-day Summit for Democracy, kicking off Thursday.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Washington Post, The American Spectator, Common Dreams and Forbes

Rowan Scarborough / Washington Times:

Biden cancels oil while Americans suffer and the world laughs — OPINION: — It has been quite a transition for America, from being the world's self-sufficient No. 1 oil producer to begging horrible foreigners to pump more fossil fuels. But by God, President Biden did it. With ease.

Jonathan Lemire / Politico:
Old foes thwart Biden's foreign policy pivot

Discussion: Bloomberg, HuffPost, Townhall, NPR, Los Angeles Times and The Guardian

Taylor Lorenz / New York Times:

Birds Aren't Real, or Are They? Inside a Gen Z Conspiracy Theory. — Peter McIndoe, the 23-year-old creator of the viral Birds Aren't Real movement, is ready to reveal what the effort is really about. — In Pittsburgh, Memphis and Los Angeles, massive billboards recently popped up declaring, “Birds Aren't Real.”

Politico:

Progressives get rolled on Pentagon policy — Democrats had big plans this year when they took full control of Washington, D.C. — before political reality got in the way. For proof, look no further than this year's Pentagon policy bill. — The compromise National Defense Authorization Act …

Discussion: Roll Call, Wall Street Journal, HotAir, CNBC, The Hill, The Daily Wire, Washington Examiner, CNN, Raw Story, American Prospect, Gizmodo, WTOP News and Washington Post

Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Senate votes to nix Biden's vaccine mandate for businesses

Washington Free Beacon:

NEVER FORGET: All the Libs Who Fell for the Jussie Smollett Hate Crime Hoax — Democrats, celebs, and journalists jumped to condemn fabricated attack — Jussie Smollett, the C-list actor best known for his role as Terry Hall in The Mighty Ducks, is finally on trial in Chicago for allegedly staging …

Jonathan Turley / The Hill:
Jussie Smollett's final act: How a hate crime hoax became a pitch for jury nullification

Discussion: Breitbart

Andrew Jeong / Washington Post:

A GOP senator suggested gargling mouthwash to kill the coronavirus. Doctors and Listerine are skeptical. — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) recommended mouthwash as a treatment for the coronavirus during a town hall meeting Wednesday, immediately drawing criticism for suggesting gargling would offer protection.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, New York Magazine, Raw Story, Rolling Stone, POLITICUSUSA, HuffPost and Daily Kos

Ed Pearce / KOLO-TV:

Search for January 6th suspect ends on Peavine Mountain — RENO, Nev. (KOLO) -Among the faces captured on video January 6th, battling capitol police, trashing the nation's capitol was a 34 year old Winnemucca man, Josiah Kenyon. — The FBI charged Kenyon with, among other crimes, assaulting a capitol police officer with a table leg.

Discussion: Mercury News, Raw Story and Insider

Zach Everson / Forbes:

Trump Donor Allegedly Used Embezzled Money To Support The Former President's Campaign And Lead A Lavish Lifestyle — Richard Kofoed, a serial entrepreneur from California, looks like a big shot on social media. One photo shows him sipping rare bourbons, including Old Rip Van Winkle and George T. Stagg …

Discussion: The Daily Beast and Raw Story

Tim McMillan / Washington Examiner:

The government's real problem with UFOs — UFOs, or, as the Defense Department now terms them, “unidentified aerial phenomena,” or UAP, have become big news inside the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill. — In June, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released an unclassified …

Associated Press:

AP-NORC Poll: Income is up, but Americans focus on inflation — WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans' overall income has accelerated since the pandemic, but so has inflation — and a new poll finds that far more people are noticing the higher prices than the pay gains.

Discussion: Political Wire

Laura He / CNN:

Evergrande has defaulted on its debt, Fitch Ratings says — Hong Kong (CNN Business)Evergrande, the embattled Chinese property developer, has defaulted on its debt, according to Fitch Ratings. — The credit ratings agency on Thursday downgraded the company and its subsidiaries to …

Domenico Montanaro / NPR:

A new poll finds major warning signs for Biden and fellow Democrats — Americans don't feel the direct payments or expanded child tax credits doled out earlier this year helped them much, according to the latest NPR/Marist poll, and they don't see Democrats' signature legislation as addressing their top economic concern — inflation.

Discussion: Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Twitchy, Marist Poll, Nevada Current and New Republic

Zachary Petrizzo / The Daily Beast:

Mike Lindell Supports Fans' Push to ‘Bombard’ Supreme Court — OVERNIGHT SHIPPING — Increasingly restless supporters of MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell have a new plan of action: Send the Supreme Court physical copies of the pillow maven's dubious and unsigned 80-plus page court filing that seeks to overturn the 2020 election.

Discussion: Raw Story and Political Wire

Fred Kaplan / Slate:

Did Anyone Even Look at the Massive Defense Budget Before Passing It? — By an overwhelming margin, the House passed a bill to spend $778 billion on defense next year, $25 billion more than what President Joe Biden had requested. The Senate is expected to second the motion within days.

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon and Speaking Security

Harriet Alexander / Daily Mail:

CNN's Don Lemon is blasted for literally SINGING Biden's praises over five cents drop in gas prices after White House had secret meetings with journalists begging for better press — CNN host Don Lemon has been mocked for his crowing about Joe Biden reducing the price of gas …

Discussion: HotAir

Matthew Karnitschnig / Politico:

Olaf's frozen foreign policy — BERLIN — Germany's Olaf Scholz isn't one to just let it go. — At least not when it comes to foreign policy. — The power shift in Berlin this week sparked hopes around Europe and across the Atlantic that the new chancellor's government …

Discussion: Jacobin and The Daily Wire

BBC:

New Zealand to ban cigarettes for future generations — New Zealand will ban the sale of tobacco to its next generation, in a bid to eventually phase out smoking. — Anyone born after 2008 will not be able to buy cigarettes or tobacco products in their lifetime, under a law expected to be enacted next year.

Kaitlyn Tiffany / The Atlantic:

The Great (Fake) Child-Sex-Trafficking Epidemic — a poster in the window of Cahoots Corner Cafe—great potatoes, good coffee—advertised a family event at the Oakdale, California, rodeo grounds. There would be food trucks, carnival games, live music, a raffle, and the opportunity to support the cause of “freeing child sex slaves.”